Handcuffs, Latched to the Past
by pricefieldpower
Summary: Chloe has seen many things throughout her police career; but when she kicks open the door, there's a scene splayed out in front of her that she's never seen before. Something about Max's desperate cries for help made her want to dedicate her entire life to this case. But will they ever bring justice?
1. Chapter 1

The city never sleeps at night, and neither does Max. Sitting on her windowsill always calms her thoughts, especially while waiting for Nathan to come home. He always disturbs her thoughts. So loud, intense, and painful; like the city. Max wonders if she will ever get a full night of sleep.

She also wonders how she's found herself in this predicament, living at the Pacific Seattle Hotel with someone she isn't even sure she loves. He's always gone, leaving Max to her lonesome.

Sometimes, she's alone for hours on end, only leaving her with her thoughts. She always thinks back to when they were young and first falling in love; the quick loving glances in class, sneaking out of their dorms just to see each other, when they got their first apartment together. It all seemed so surreal, like somehow her past was fabricated.

But Nathan takes care of her. Clothes her, feeds her; lets her go visit her friend Kate at the church. That reminds Max she hasn't seen her devoted Christian friend in a long while, she makes a mental note to go see her tomorrow; if she's allowed.

Taking her chin off of her knee to peer down at the highway in front of their home, the small girl notices that there's not as much traffic as usual.

 _Where is he?_ Max ponders, _it's 3:04am, he's usually home by 2._ Of course on late nights like these he comes home under some kind of influence, which always worries the small girl. She wants him to be okay, but he's never okay. It's hard to watch him hurt himself, day after day; his perfect rich-boy facade crumbling on the marble foundation it was built on.

Hearing the door handle jiggle moves Max away from her view, carefully making her way to the doorway of their bedroom which is on the same hallway as the front door. She knows it's probably him, which makes her shy away; hiding most of her body behind the doorframe. It's taking him a bit longer than usual to get it open, he must be intoxicated again.

Max sees his slouched figure practically throw himself into their apartment, making her back away further. If she was quiet and obedient, it might not hurt so much this time. "Max!" The sudden scream of her names snaps her to attention, not sure if it's safe to move closer to him. Nathan pushes the door to, then drags his feet down the hallway. The girl stays in her spot, keeping her head down so she wouldn't have to look at him. She could tell it was going to be bad tonight.

"N-Nathan?" Max finally managed to speak out, clenching her fists. This was nothing new; it was a never-ending cycle. If he wasn't coming home completely wasted, he was tripped out on drugs. They'd fight. He'd apologize. And Max would fall into the trap yet again. It seemed that this is all Max had to look forward to anymore, life didn't seem to have much of the thrill that it did back when she was eighteen.

"Maybe you should lay down." Max spoke in a quiet voice. She avoided his drunken gaze; she knew all too well. "Don't tell me what to do!" His already bruised hand collides with the wall, causing a loud smack. Max shrieks quietly and burrows further into herself, crouching down; hugging her knees to her chest. "Oh get off the fucking floor!" His large hand wraps around her whole forearm, making it easy to pull her harshly his way.

"N-Nathan, I-I promise I didn't mean it!" The Prescott's anger only rises at her pleading tone, "Shut up! Or I'll give you something to cry about!" He pushes her back down, almost falling down himself from his tipsy state. "I'm going to watch TV, I expect dinner soon." Max is already in tears before he leaves, but now she's glad she made food hours ago knowing he would want something when he got home.

She sees him slouch into their torn couch, and doesn't dare glance his way as she opens the fridge to reheat his portion of the meal. Before the food is unwrapped from her hands, Nathan's phone rings. She listens attentively, always curious to hear who would even call this late. His grumbles came first before actually answering the phone, putting it to his ear. "No, no. I'm home."

The food now heating up in their cheap microwave, "Yeah, I have money. Why?" He's quiet for a minute, his tone is hushed now. "No, I- it's not that. I promised Max-" Nathan huffs out harshly, "No, fuck you! You fucked me over last time remember?"

Max squeezes her eyes shut, silently praying for this night to be over. The sound of the microwave pulls her from her thoughts and back into her reality, as she could hear Nathan shouting from their living room.

 _Stop shaking_ , she told herself, _you're not afraid._

But she _is_ afraid. She's so afraid to the point where she feels _numb_. _Please don't let this happen tonight. Just one peaceful night._ Her hands are practically death gripping the counter at his loud banter with the mysterious caller. It _always_ comes back to her.

Max doesn't want tonight to be her fault.

"God damn it," Nathan howls, causing Max to freeze up. "I'll fucking kill you!" He roars before slamming his phone into the wall parallel to him. He breathes heavily before falling onto the couch again, mumbling something that Max couldn't quite hear.

His angry pants didn't stop, she knows he's gripping his hair by now. If it keeps going this way she'll just have to tough up, she has to be careful.

"Max, hurry the fuck up." The Prescott demands, causing Max to jump yet again.

"O-oh, sorry." Max reaches to pull the plate out of the microwave with trembling fingers. She takes a deep breath before approaching the man. _Stop shaking_ , she thought yet again, _stop._ But she can't bring herself to become calm. _You're going to wake up and repeat this again, why are you afraid? It's always the same, Max. He'll be nice tomorrow. Just make it through the night, that's all you have to do._

" _Max_ ," Nathan growls. "Hurry _up._ " At this point Max realizes she didn't even grab a fork, and knows she will be scolded for the mistake. In the moment she thought he had a firm grip on the plate when she let go to turn around and go get the missing utensil, she was terribly wrong; causing the plate to slip and crash to the floor. She watched it fall, playing it over and over, each time slower, in her mind.

Until finally, it lands. And the only thing left is Max's terrified panting, and Nathan's harsh gaze that makes her feel like nothing. "Are you fucking serious, Max?!"

For how intoxicated he seemed earlier, he sure sobered up pretty quickly. "I can't fucking believe this!" Max could practically see the veins in his neck bulging out from the fury he's holding back. "I work my ass off, _day and night,_ " his words are spitting out at her as his teeth are clenched together.

Max realizes how close he's gotten as he speaks, and she tries to back away to the wall as quickly as possible to get away from his wrath. "And _this,_ is the shit I come home to! You're always so fucking stupid, Max! You can never do anything right!"

When her elbow collides with the wall, she feels a sharp sting in her foot; averting her eyes only for a second lets her see the shattered phone on the ground.

"Nathan, _please_ -" Max cries out, her arms shielding her body from what she knows is about to come.

"You're so fucking _stupid_ ," A shove to the wall.

"I regret the day I ever met you!" A punch to her chest, knocking the breath from her lungs.

"You'll never amount to anything, hell, you can't even look at me right now!" A slap across her face. " _Look at me, Max_."

"N-Nathan I-" Max chokes out, focusing more on the pain in her foot than the sore feeling deep in her stomach from the words he left.

" _Look at me!_ " Nathan jerked her face towards his, but her gaze refused to meet his. They were almost nose-to-nose and Max could smell the alcohol on his breath. His rough calloused hand is wrapping around her throat, and in that moment she finally snaps.

' _You're not scared.'_

Max grasps his shoulders, and with all of the strength that is coming from the fear of the moment; the strength that has been bubbling inside of her for years, she shoves the man to the ground.

And there was a moment where she had no idea what she wanted to do next. She knew that if she didn't do something _now_ then she would certainly be dead.

"You fucking _bitch!_ "

Max reaches down to grab what is left of the shattered phone at her foot and runs as fast as she can to the hallway. She tries to tune out the throbbing pain she feels in her entire body as she hears stumbling feet behind her, catching up to her.

She quickly makes her way into the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it, hoping it'll keep her safe long enough. She turns away from the door and lets her back slide on it until she's on the floor.

Max takes a moment to catch her breath. It isn't too long before she hears approaching footsteps and then violent beating on the door, and her heart is in her throat yet again.

"Max, I swear, you are _dead_ to me!" Nathan growls at her back. Max then realizes she's clenching the shattered phone to her chest.

"Please, _please_ work," She pleaded, scrambling to press buttons on the phone. On instinct, she dials 9-1-1.

Nothing.

"No.. _No!_ Please!" She desperately dials it again.

Silence.

There's a moment where Max feels numb. She can't hear anything other than the ringing in her ears and her beating heart. _It's over,_ she says over and over in her mind.

And then,

"9-1-1,"

 _There's hope for me._

"What's your emergency?"

—

 _It's so quiet tonight,_ Chloe thinks. Her cigarette is already halfway gone, and she only has 3 left in her pack. This week she's been smoking like a freight train, but she isn't even sure why. Nothing serious has happened, this week has been flying by so smoothly that she almost _wanted_ to be suspicious of it. But she's not that type of person, if everything is okay, then fucking let it be. There's no reason to make things dramatic. Just relax.

She got a call earlier but it was a bust, it was just a stupid prank. Although they weren't very smart, she found the young teen boys snickering with a mobile behind the place they called the crime about. All she had to do was say she was going to call their parents about it and they were putty in her hands.

Bawling at her feet for freedom; they didn't want to get arrested. Chloe thought it was pretty funny that the 'anonymous' call came from someone called "Anya Dicki", so she agreed to let them go if they won Rock, Paper, Scissors against her. They didn't win though, and Chloe got everything in their pockets. She thought it was a pretty good lesson to teach them.

She leans against her motorcycle, her free hand resting on her gun holster. It's become a habit, gotta be ready for anything at any moment. There's been too many occasions where she didn't pull it out quick enough.

A pain shoots through Chloe's thumb, so she squeezes her leathered hand; the popping of her trigger finger becoming a pain. She told the chief that it was from gun practice, that the kick of the backfire must've done it. He fell for it, but it was actually from playing video games too much.

The fingerless gloves she wears helps her grip when driving; sweaty hands don't go good with handlebars. And they also look hella badass, Chloe's pretty sure it completes her whole 'motorcycle cop' outfit. She also has the leather jacket, but it's not cold enough to wear it yet. It getting close to that time of year though.

There was already a funeral for a fellow officer who died because they crashed their bike, she didn't want to fall into that category. If she's going to die while on duty, it better be in a blaze of glory. Maybe at a big drug bust, something with the mafia, or a bank heist. If it isn't noble, then her time spent on this police force would be nothing. The gun wounds, the scars, especially the near deaths. Chloe's already lost too much on this force. And it didn't mean anything to anyone then.

The buzz of her radio pulls her out of her thoughts, and snuffs the rest of her cigarette; planning to save it for later. " _Come in all units in the downtown Seattle area, I repeat, downtown Seattle units. We have a possible domestic violence, are there any available units?"_

Chloe couldn't really tell what made her want to pick up the call, domestic violence cases aren't always serious cases. A lot of the times it's just a fight, and you have to waste your time actually going there to break it up. She's pretty sure her dad gives her those jobs.

Chloe knows this from experience, which makes her feel disappointed. _I want something exciting for once, dad always tries to give me the easy jobs so I don't get hurt. But fuck that._

Instead of responding, Chloe stays leaned against her bike; hoping for a better call. She puts her almost-shoulder-length hair in a small bun, she dyed her hair to match her blue uniform; mostly as a joke but she didn't realize the dye was permanent before it was too late.

Her father, a.k.a. chief of police, was not pleased with this outcome. Everyone else on the force seemed pretty tickled at her bold move, earning her nickname "The Punk" while on duty. Chloe guesses it's also because the sleeve tattoo she has, which came from her friend when she was still a delinquent.

She thinks back to all the things she's done to just piss her dad off, she delves into her memories while the radio continues its' chatter.

" _I repeat this is a 6104-Echo. We need any available units to respond."_ The Echo code grabs her attention, and she decides this call should keep her busy for a while.

Swinging her leg over her bike, Chloe grabs her radio, "HQ this is officer 142 responding to possible 6104-Echo case. 10-20 downtown, where is our possible DV located? Over." She waits patiently for the response, taking her keys out to start her engine.

" _10-4 officer 142, call is located in Pacific Seattle Hotel. Over._ " Chloe knows the reputation for that place, they get at least 1 to 3 calls a month from there; never having actually answered any but she's heard the stories. "Officer 142, 10-76. Over." She revs up the engine, sure to put up the kickstand before zooming off out of the area.

The Punk turns on her sirens and emergency lights, she has to get there as quickly as possible; traffic is always horrible in this city. Only because it's a major city. That's the main reason she decided to drive a bike, Chloe can just drive through the lanes rather than waiting for them to clear. Although that's pretty dangerous in itself.

The bangs of hair aren't long enough to reach the back of her head yet, so they wisp around her face. In all honestly, as cool as she looks and feels with no helmet on, the small slashes from her hair onto her cheeks really hurt. Not to mention the danger of her not being able to see and crashing that way.

It wasn't long before she arrived, pulling out her taser rather than her gun; no casualties is always the goal. She doesn't even have to ask anyone which room it is, the loud banging and screaming is enough of a signal.

This is when the sweat really starts to form, the adrenaline pumping as the action is about to come into play. Chloe goes up the stairs quickly, coming right next to the door. Which is stupidly, left cracked open. She listens carefully before leaning closer to hear the situation. A man, obviously angry, screaming. " _I'll fucking kill you, Max! Try that shit again!_ " More hurried banging, " _Come out of there, right fucking now!_ "

A muffled cry, " _No! Please, stop! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!_ " Chloe swallows hurriedly, reaching for the radio perched on her shoulder. "HQ, officer 142, 10-4 on the possible DV, 10-78. Over." She keeps her grip tight on the taser as her response comes through. " _10-10, no immediate backup available. Over."_

"Goddamnit HQ, this is bad. 10-18, I repeat, 10-18. Fucking over." _I need to save this girl, but this guy sounds insane._ Chloe knows she's pretty tough, but if he's on drugs then there's no telling what he's capable of. _I'll have to just do this. This isn't exactly a noble death, but hers wouldn't be either._ The girl's screams made Chloe feel desperate, to just go ahead and bust in.

But Chloe doesn't have a plan, no backup; nothing. She's a one man army. Even if she loves to take risks, these aren't the kind she had in mind. With or without HQ's help, Chloe decides to just try to save this girl.

The sudden snapping of wood snatches the rest of The Punk's attention. " _I've got you now, bitch!"_ It's now or never. When Chloe kicks open the door, there's a scene splayed out in front of her that she's never seen before.


	2. Chapter 2

Chloe aims the taser in her sweaty palms right at the man who's holding the girl by the neck. Nathan's eyes avert their gaze from Max, and pierce into her own. "Who the fuck are _you_?" He angrily shouts in her direction. His glazed eyes burn into the brunette, "Did you call her here? Are you fucking serious, Max?!"

Chloe has seen more than enough in her police career that absolutely nothing could take her by surprise anymore. But, as soon as she sees those weary blue eyes silently calling her for help, she knows that this is completely different. This wasn't just some same old fight that she had to come and break up, this was something she had never dealt with before.

"Put your hands _up_ , and step away from the girl." Chloe spoke sternly, tightening her grip on the taser. She could tell, just from his movements and his gaze, he's intoxicated. He doesn't even think about how tight his grip is on the girl's neck, it'll probably bruise. _Bastard._

Nathan stares dead on at the police officer, pulling on the squirming girl in front of him. "I didn't fucking say you could come into _my_ house!" He roars, Max whimpering and squeezing her eyes shut, her small hands shakily wrapping around his wrist.

It broke Chloe's heart; this girl didn't seem to be putting up a fight at all, it was almost as if he controlled her like a puppet. There was nothing, not even a sliver of hope for herself.

"I'll ask you _one_ more time, step _away_ from the girl." The officer is quickly losing her patience for this shit, and so is the man. His attention is ward off of Max as he turns to completely face The Punk.

"Don't tell me what to do! I'm so sick of people trying to control me!"His grip is lost on the small girl as he lunges towards the officer, Chloe ready to pull the trigger. "Stop or I will shoot!" He didn't even seem to care to register what she had to say, and there was no stopping the ferocity coming her way. Her finger hurriedly squishes the trigger, shooting out the flimsy electrical cords.

One lands in his chest, the other in his arm. Almost immediately he stops in his tracks, trembling violently. He screams out, but nothing verbally correct. Max watches the whole ordeal, watching his pain. She always watches, but this time seems different. She feels this is okay to watch, she isn't enduring the pain.

Chloe's relieved to have stopped him, and rushes over while he's incapacitated to slap the handcuffs onto him. He doesn't bother to fight back, which is a big help for the officer. She pulls him up off of the floor to slouch his limp body against the door of the apartment.

Max braces herself against the wall, trying to comprehend everything that had just happened to her. _Should I be afraid? Should I be glad? I don't know_. Every feeling had made it's way into her mind, but her eyes are aloof and her body is numb.

The officer's obligatory actions were to come next, but as she turns and sees the poor girl she can't but feel like there's something more she should be doing. _This is my job, and she's apart of it. Nothing more, nothing less._ Chloe clears her throat, taking a nervous step forward. "Miss, are you alright?"

Max backs up further against the wall as soon as the police officer takes a step forward. "S-sorry," Chloe quickly apologizes when she realized she had startled the shocked girl. "I'm Officer Price, I'm here to help you. But you have to answer my questions, okay?"

Chloe glances over to Nathan's limp body, resisting the urge to make a grimacing expression. She turns back to the brunette, "Are you okay to talk?" Her hands latch onto her utility belt, a pose that makes her feel more empowered. She didn't feel the need to have more power than the small girl, The Punk's height probably did all the empowering she needed.

Max glances up at officer before quickly averting her gaze elsewhere, as if she is intimidated. She slowly shakes her head, not able to find her voice. Chloe sighs heavily, accepting the fact she knew this would happen. "Alright, well. Backup is on the way and will pick

you up, you will have to answer their questions. Your…" She looks momentarily over her shoulder at the man, speaking again when her eyes are back on the girl.

"Friend will be taken to the station. You'll be in separate cars, don't worry. It's over." Chloe felt as if she left her speech on a strong note, so she turns back to tug Nathan up off the floor. She pushes the sloshed man out the door, handcuffing him to a pole downstairs.

The thing about tasers is the prongs, they go inside the victim's skin; needing to be pulled out. When Nathan is standing solidly the officer decides that now is a good time to do so. "Look man, I'm not gonna lie, this is going to hurt like a bitch." She places her left hand under his throat, the other on one of the cords.

After the mental countdown in her head, she pulls it out as hard as she can. Quickly following that, comes Nathan's cry of pain. His hands jerk against his handcuffs and his whole body trembles. _I'm sure this isn't nearly as bad as what you put her through,_ Chloe wanted to say.

"Should have listened," Chloe shook her head, grunting as she pulled with a bit more force and anger. "You did this to yourself, man."

Surprisingly, Nathan wasn't fighting back anymore. Chloe didn't know if it's the alcohol, or the pain, or maybe even the fact that he knows that it's over for him. It was funny, because the drunkards are always the annoying ones. It never fails; they'll sit in the back of the police car, whining all the way to the police station, screaming " _I didn't do it! I didn't do anything! Please let me go!"_

As Chloe is pulling out the last prong, there's a distant sound of police sirens coming from the highway, slowly masking the sounds of Nathan's sighs of pain. "About fucking time, Jesus _Christ."_ Chloe grumbles. They're late a lot of the time, but they're never _this_ late. She lets out a breath of relief when two police cars pull into the parking lot of the cheap hotel. Not wasting any time, they rush over to Nathan, unhooking his cuffs from the pole. He, still, didn't show any sign of resistance.

Two more police officers approach Chloe, two of which she surprisingly hasn't seen at the police station before. "Where is the victim located?"

Chloe glances up at the opened door to the apartment. "Upstairs." She responds, wondering if the girl is ever going to be okay after this. _How long has this been happening? Months? Years?_

"But.. be careful with her. She's had a rough night, she's pretty shaken."

The policemen nod and begin to head up the stairs and into the apartment. Chloe sighs and leans back against her bike. One of her hands hooked onto her utility belt while her other hand rubs the back of her neck. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't shaken too; that was somewhat difficult to see.

 _It's pretty late, guess I'll just follow them back to the station._ The Punk lets out another heavy sigh before swinging her leg over her bike. It's gotten pretty chilly all of the sudden, so she takes her jacket out of one of her compartments and pulls it on. She adjusts her sleeves, then makes sure the gloves are tightly on. Chloe watches carefully as they take Max to the car, she thought their eyes connected for a moment.

She waits until they crank their car to turn on her own vehicle, and follows them into the night.

—

It's pretty busy at the station as usual, but not noticing anyone in particular. Usually there's a few frequent delinquents around. And she knows those, she takes care of them. They remind her of herself at their age. Getting into trouble, doing anything rebellious. Of course now The Punk has calmed down, she still feels the urge to run wild sometimes. But now, she's feeling pretty dead.

 _I could really use a pick me up._ She goes to the break room, fixing herself a cup of coffee. Her eyes dart around, noting the few officers around. Not that there's always a good few around. She comes out with her mug, heading towards the chiefs office. She wants to talk about that mysterious victim from tonight, hoping she'll be alright.

Another officer stops her, one she didn't recognize at first with how tired her eyes felt. "Hey, Price. I could really use your help, man." He looks around, rubbing his clammy hands together. "I got that guy, Nathan, he's in the jail cell but I took his cuffs off and now he's threatening to beat anyone who dares to come in. What the hell do I do?" Chloe forgets who's new around here, all the blue uniforms blend in.

She thought of saying the proper thing to do, but the flashbacks of earlier cross her mind. With a thick smirk she confidently states, "Use a taser." The officer pats the newbie's shoulder, continuing to her original path.

She knocks on the tampered glass of the window on the door, earning a gruff, "Come in." Chloe swings it open, taking a sip of her black coffee while she's at it. "Heyo, daddio." Her foot kicks the door closed, standing silently after her statement.

David's bloodshot eyes peer up at her, "Well? What do you want?" She takes that as her cue to sit in a seat opposite of his trashed desk.

"How's the victim doing from the DV case from tonight?" His steel eyes narrow at The Punk, suspecting her of something. "Don't get sweet on the victim. But she's in the interrogation room." Chloe nods her head as she downs another sip of the bitter liquid. "How's that going?" The chief rubs his face, letting out a heavy sigh. "Progress is slow. She won't talk to anybody." _I knew she was pretty shaken, but this seems extreme._ "Well, why not?"

With his thumbs on the bridge of nose between his closed eyes, he knows there's no way of getting around this. "She only wants to speak to _you_."

Chloe chokes on her coffee, spitting and coughing violently. " _What_?! Me? Why me?" His broad shoulders stiffen out, placing his large hands folded together on his desk. "My guess is that it's because you saved her. Usually the victims feel a bond with the person who gets them out of that kind of mess." The officer opens her mouth to speak, but her dad shuts her down quickly. "You are _not_ allowed to talk to her. You cannot go into the interrogation room, you aren't a detective."

"How else are you gonna get her to talk, dad? Just let me take a shot at it, yeah? At any moment you can pull me out, any moment I swear. C'mon! Let me do something for once!" She didn't realize how solid her facial expression was, causing the man to break down after a full minute of them staring each other down. "Fine. But I will personally drag you out if and when I feel the need. I will be watching you, Chloe."

The officer's excitement shows through her grin, rushing out the room and to the door of the room Max is in. "Step aside, newbies. Let me show you how it's done." The detective standing beside the door holds his hand out before she reaches for the knob.

"Woah there kid, you don't have the authority to go in there." Chloe's eyebrows knit together, "Excuse you _adult,_ but I'm 22 and I have authority straight from the chief's mouth that I am allowed to go in."

Everyone at the station knows officer 142, not only because she's the chief's daughter, but also for the days when she was always in trouble. She's just as much of a smartass now as she was then. The detective's eyes show a glint of something, before opening the door for her.

Chloe smirks in her victory, taking long strides inside. When the door closes she realizes how dark and dingy it is in there, noting only a desk and two chairs; one of them occupied by Max.

She sucks a breath in before sitting in the seat parallel to the small girl, breathing it out as she scoots up to the desk; placing her coffee next to the notepad. _Here we go, don't fuck this up._

"Hi," Chloe speaks softly, looking at the girl in front of her. She notes how tired she looks; her bloodshot eyes, her dark circles, dried blood underneath her nose. Chloe could only imagine what she's been through.

Max simply looks down at the rusty metallic table, not even sparing Chloe a glance.

Chloe bit her lip as she thought, trying to think of something that might get this girl to talk. She leans back in her chair and crosses her arms over her chest.

"Listen, I know tonight has been rough," Chloe says. "But you're safe now. We want to help you, we will do everything in our power to protect you. And that means that you have to tell us what happened."

Chloe has never been good at comforting people, she would always say something wrong and make the other person upset. But as soon as the brunette glanced up at her, she knew she _must've_ said something right, right?

"Are you okay to talk?"

A hesitant nod.

"Good," Chloe let out a relieved sigh. _Okay, take it slow._

"Can you tell me your name?" She talked in a calming voice. There's a few moments of silence before the girl in front of her responds.

"Max," She responds, clearing out her throat. "Max Caulfield."

"Max," Chloe echos. "I like that name." She leans up in her chair to grab the notepad in the middle of the table, and digs in the pocket of her leather jacket for a pen. "Feel free to have a sip if you want, might calm your nerves." She points at the mug momentarily with her newly wielded pen before the officer begins to scribble a few things down.

Max shifts uncomfortably as Chloe does so, pulling the mug closer to her person; before Chloe's eyes lock with hers again. "How old are you?"

The smaller girl feels a bit intimidated under Chloe's gaze, so she quickly finds something else to focus on. "Uhm, I-I'm 21,"

"Oh, sweet! We're only a year apart." Chloe throws a cheeky grin at her, hoping she'll appreciate the small-talk or find it comforting in some way.

"Alright so, when did you and this uh," Chloe stops mid-sentence to flip back a few pages in the notepad. "You and this Nathan meet?"

"W-well uh," Max began. She hated thinking back to the happier, simpler days. It was too much of a contrast compared to her life now. "I believe we met in my senior year of highschool, so I guess around three years ago.."

Chloe idly taps the pen in her left hand as she attentively listens to what the girl had to say before she scribbles it down in the notepad.

"Damn," David spoke, watching from the other side of the window of the interrogation room. "Who knew that smartass had it in her?" He chuckles.

"I know that if I was that girl, and Price even _approached_ me? I'd be terrified." Another police officer adds, also attentively watching the situation from behind David.

"I know this is the last thing you'd ever want to talk about, but," Chloe says softly. "Do you remember when he became hostile or violent towards you?"

Max knew that question was coming, and she wish she could avoid answering it. She squeezes her eyes shut for a moment and swallows hard. _You're not going to cry, you're not afraid._

"I- uh, I.." Max grips the edge of her seat, trying to search for the right words.

"Take your time, Max." Chloe spoke in a gentle voice, which Max found comforting.

"I-It was when we graduated,"

"Mhm?"

"We were fixated on moving in together, so we started saving up for an apartment. I began to notice that he was just… acting a bit strange." Max spoke as she fiddled her thumbs in her lap.

"His family had disowned him, and I didn't find out until later he was hooked on these drugs and alcohol. His attitude changed completely towards me. It was like.. I didn't even know him a-anymore and-" Max tenses up in her seat, trying to ignore the lump in her throat.

"Hey, hey, you don't have to answer anything else, alright?" Chloe spoke, tucking the pen back into her pocket. "Thank you, Max."

Chloe stands up from her seat and pushes it in. "I'll talk to you later." She says as she flashes the brunette a comforting smile, and then walking over to the door. She hesitates before reaching for the door knob.

"Oh, and Max?" Chloe calls out. The small girl looks over her shoulder, but refuses to meet The Punk's eyes.

"Faith is the bird that feels the light, and sings when the dawn is still dusk." Chloe tried her best to recite, pulling her jacket off as she did so. She walked to the small girl, draping the leather jacket over her shoulders. The blue-haired girl pats Max before exiting the room.

Max waits for the officer to leave the room before tugging the leather jacket tighter around her. For the first time, in a long time, she found herself smiling. She felt safe.

When the officer exits the room with a big sigh, she notices a whole group of people staring at her. "That was pretty impressive, not to mention how much of a poet you are." Chloe laughs, holding her cheeky grin, "I'm not. I got it off of a fortune cookie from lunch."


	3. Chapter 3

Max felt a bit different with the heavy, leather jacket laid across her shoulders. It felt even more different, when her arms were through the sleeves; and when she inhaled the scent of that officer. And that's how she found herself sleeping, using the gift as a blanket. The bench wasn't comfortable, but her alluring dreams were.

Chloe needed a smoke break, and found herself walking past the whole crowded area. And that's how she sees Max, practically wrapped up in her jacket. She smiles instinctively, glad that something can make the small girl happy. With that sight engraved into her mind, she felt a new mission become more urgent than the cancer she wanted to fill her lungs.

Chloe tucks the pack of cigarettes back into her pocket and decided to walk to the holding area, where she found the suspect of this case sitting, his face buried into his hands.

"Finally sobered up, huh?" Chloe smirks, leaning against a wall parallel to Nathan. She wanted absolutely nothing more than to punch this fucker's teeth out; to show him exactly what it feels like to be Max right now.

Chloe knows she isn't allowed to be making contact with the suspect, but after her talk with Max, she felt as if it was completely necessary. She knows that if she didn't do it _now,_ it would be another thing lingering in the back of her mind; another thing that she would regret not doing.

He looks up at her with bloodshot eyes; his face showing absolutely no emotion. "You're lucky these bars are protecting your ass right now." The Punk adds, a little bit of her former teenage rebellion attitude coming in.

He doesn't respond; instead, he buries his face back into his hands, trembling slightly.

"Do you not feel any remorse at all? You should see that poor girl right now." Chloe says, anger rising in her voice. "She won't even let anyone near her, and it's because of _you_!"

"I'm sorry," He begs with a hoarse voice. "Tell her I'm sorry!"

And _there it is._ It's the same apology that Chloe has heard time and time again from different criminals. She knew it wasn't out of true meaning, it was because Nathan knows he fucked up big time. _Petty_.

"You can say sorry all you want, but it doesn't change the fact that you ruined her life."

Nathan glances up when the officer says that. He searches for the words to say but he knows that nothing he could say could get him out of this absolute mess that he has caused.

"And it doesn't change the fact that I _will_ make sure that you never cross paths with her again." Chloe speaks in her most intimidating tone. She uncrosses her arms, approaching the bars that separates them. " _Do I make myself clear?_ "

"Officer Price, please step away from the cell." An officer calls from behind her, only adding to her irritability.

"You can think about how sorry you are in prison."

Chloe scoffs, and then turns to exit the holding area. She brushes her fingers through her faded blue hair, and in her mind, she's hoping that she got her point across. Something about tonight made her feel more irritable than she's ever felt before.

 _Maybe I just need a smoke,_ she thinks, smirking as she passes by the bench that Max is sound asleep on.

 _Or a few solid hours of sleep._

—

Chloe isn't sure how long it's been sitting at her desk, filing the endless amount of stacks of papers. She couldn't stand it, she hates the desk part of this job. _This isn't how you fucking help people._ She sighs heavily when she leans back in her chair, rubbing her temples with her middle and index finger. _I need to get out of this stuffy shit-hole._

She stands up so fast her chair topples over. "Shit!" She fails at grabbing it before it crashes, causing the station to quiet for a moment. "Sorry! Just my chair." Back to the loud, overbearing bustle sounds. It always gives her such a headache. _Got to get the fuck out of here._ Her feet carry her the fast they can, _I need to get to her calming place, maybe it's as nice as she said it is_.

She was already gone before anyone could even question where she was going.

—

Max had left the station, seeing as she was medically fine and she wasn't up for another session of interrogation. Her shoulders and neck slightly ache, most likely from a few hours of sleeping on the uncomfortable bench. She hasn't even bothered to take off the heavy leather jacket, either, just because it makes her feel safe. _Should I have given it back?_ Max shrugged at her thoughts, not really caring.

The small girl doesn't know how early it is, but the morning chill makes her shiver. She doesn't even want to think about going back to the apartment, where everything down to the smallest mark on the wall will remind her of _him_. She doesn't want to deal with it, as much as she needs to go home and shower.

She decides to go anyways, swallowing her fears. She takes a cab there, using the money she found in the officer's jacket pockets. She makes a mental note to pay her back, before reaching her home door. _It's okay, Max. He's not here. You can do this._ Her clammy hands reach out for the doorknob, the only thing she can hear is the pounding of her own heart. _He's not in there, he's not in there._

She chants it in her head, as if it'll help her through this. When the door creaks open from the pressure of her shoulder, she sees all the destruction. The nerve wrecking, memory crashing, destruction. The bathroom door barely hanging onto its hinges, Nathan's hand around her neck. The screaming, the pain. Everything. Her eyes begin to sting, her lungs pulsating with hot air.

Her trembling legs drag into the torn apartment, her watery eyes trying to focus. His overbearing smell fills her nostrils, shaking her entire body. "I can't!" Everything's spinning, _it's my fault. My fault, my fault, my fault! He was my only anchor, oh god what do I do?_ Her skinny hands gripping her hair, blood pumping throughout the small body.

Everything's closing in, _he's here; he's here he'll always be here! Run!_ She wasn't sure if she screamed when she slams the door, rushing down the steps. She didn't stop running till she was around the whole block, the building out of sight; out of mind.

While Max catches her breath she notices where she is, seeing the coffee shop where Kate takes her for their outings. Her feet drag through the warm building's door, the strong smell of the bitter liquids filling her nostrils. The booth she usually sits at with Kate is empty, so that's where she goes. The brunette feels much better in a safer environment, her thin body barely taking up any space on the wide, leather seat.

She places her shaky hands on the table, trying to gather her thoughts together and function normally once more. She glances around nervously, hoping that nobody is seeing her breakdown; but a hint of blue catches her eye and she recognizes it almost immediately. _No!_

It was none other than Officer Price, looking lethargic with her faded blue hair pushed back, her tired eyes and the sleeves of her button-up shirt pushed to her elbows. Max slides down in her seat a bit, hoping that she isn't noticed. _I don't want her to see me this way again,_ Max thought, biting the inside of her cheek and turning to look out the window. _I don't want her to think I'm following her!_

The brunette's attempts to conceal herself clearly didn't work, because her eyes accidentally met with Chloe's and she is pleasantly greeted with a warm smile; the same warm smile that she was given in the interrogation room, the same warm smile that could brighten anyone's day.

The officer waves and then begins to approach her. "Hey Max," She spoke in that same calming voice that Max has heard before. "It's nice seeing you here. Can I sit with you?" The small girl nervously tucks a lock of loose hair behind her ear, not meeting The Punk's eyes. Her face feels hot all of the sudden, and she hopes it's just the warm atmosphere of the room.

"Ye-yeah, I mean, why not?" Her acting was never that good, and she earns a small grin from the officer. "So, how was home? Are you making progress on cleaning up?"

Max swallows down the fear willing to build back up from before, reminding herself that she's safe. "It's totally great! Actually the manager did it for me, totally great." She nods her head with a fake smile, clasping her hands too tightly together.

"Are you uh, feeling okay and everything?" Chloe raised an eyebrow, cradling her chin in the palm of her hand. Max looked out the window, fiddling with the pen found in her pocket.

"Y-yeah, I guess so," Max nervously shrugs. "I- uh.. It's been hard." Chloe listens carefully, paying attention to every small detail of the brunette's movements. The way she avoids her eyes, how her hands move constantly to keep herself busy; her cracked lips struggling to speak the truth. "Officer Price-"

The Punk shakes her head quickly, "Call me Chloe, yeah?" Max's throat seems to get dry quickly, and she finds that swallowing has become a difficult task.

"You can talk to me about anything, okay?" The officer speaks sympathetically. "Everything's confidential. You can trust me."

 _She's right. I can trust her._ Max taps her fingers on the table, trying to find her voice. _You don't have to be scared._

"I couldn't even stand to look at the apartment," Max speaks in a quiet voice. "I.. knew I wouldn't so... I don't even know why I went back." Chloe nods, pursing her lips. The officer figured that would be the case. "Is there anything that I could do?" She proposes. Max shakes her head frantically. "No, no, it's okay! I'm... I'm sure I'll figure things out."

"Seriously, I could help you clean up." Chloe suggests, to which Max turns to look at her with disbelief. "Or, you're always welcome to crash at my place if you want."

Max felt _awful._ This person barely knows anything about her, except for the fact that Max is a DV victim and is in the process of getting her life together. Yet, this intimidating police officer sitting in front of her has already done so much for her. _Does she just feel bad for me?_

"Why.. why are you doing all of this for me?" Max asked, feeling truly undeserving of the kindness that Chloe was showing. Max was a stranger to her, yet she's offering to let her come stay at her place? "You've already done so much."

"Hey," Chloe says, putting her calloused hand over Max's smaller one on the table. "This isn't too much for me, promise. Just know the offer is always open."

The small girl let her hand linger for a little longer before pulling her hand away, her face feeling a little hot yet again. "Uh- thank you." Max stuttered, which earned her a smile from Chloe.

"Yep," Chloe replies, sliding from her seat. "Want some coffee? Sorry I didn't offer earlier, but I'm about to get some now." The brunette cracks a tiny smile, trying to meet eyes with the taller girl but couldn't. "Just get me water."

The Punk narrows her eyes slightly at her companion, knowing that she probably just doesn't want Chloe spending a lot of money on her. "If you say so," her shoulders shrug.

Max waits patiently, staring out the window. She didn't even notice it had started to rain, the window's ghost forming around her warm finger against the contrast of cold glass.

Max gets distracted easily, her mind has always liked to wander. Chloe notices as the other girl's thin finger lingers on the solid transparent, _she always seems so distant. So far away; I wonder where her mind takes her._

She takes her previous seat across from Max, handing her a cup. "I know you said water, but you need some caffeine; perk you up and stuff." Chloe places the warm cup in the other girl's hand, sitting in her own spot with her own cup afterwards.

"I just got you one of those funny sounding ones, I figure you'd like it no matter what. Since this is kind of a hipster joint." She sips the hot liquid down her throat, enjoying the burn. Max uses the tips of her fingers, focusing on the cup. Her eyes followed The Punk's arm secretly, just now noticing the tattoo that seems to swallow her arm.

The blue-haired girl sees the other's eyes on her, and smirks a bit. "Y'know," the sudden raspy voice startles the young girl; knowing she had been caught. "I haven't always been a cop. I didn't even plan on being one. I was kinda forced, but I also wanted to do good things."

"Man," Chloe laughs, taking a sip of her coffee. "I was such a little shit before I got this job. Running around, always clashing with the law. Step-dad is the police chief so, you know how _that_ worked out for me."

Max grins, enjoying how Chloe is opening up to her like they'd known each other for years instead of a few hours.

"We used to butt heads pretty badly, but, he cared for me. Got into a bad spot in my life a few years ago, dad offered the job," Chloe spoke, settling into her seat and put her hands behind her head. "Now here I am. If you told me that I would be a police officer when I was a teenager, I would've laughed right in your face."

"Enough about me," Chloe speaks as soon as she realizes that she's rambling, which is something she finds herself doing often. "Tell me about yourself. Is there anything you like to do?"

"Oh," Max says in a small voice, "I'm… I'm not that interesting, really."

Chloe bursts into a light-hearted laughter, that the small girl wouldn't mind hearing again. "Come on! There's gotta be something you like doing or you're good at!"

"I went to school for photography, but… it's something I haven't really done in a while." Max explains, with her small hands wrapped around her warm cup of coffee. She remembers how happy she felt whenever she captured a perfect moment. She knew she'd have to go home and pull out the box full of her old memories sometime.

"Maybe I could model for you," Chloe smirks. "Nah, I'm just fuckin' around, I'm not that photogenic."

 _Even though I'm sure she's joking; with Chloe's faded blue hair, her sharp features, and intimidating expressions, she'd certainly make an interesting subject_. "Are you completely immune to the idea?" The blue-haired girl was taken aback by her companion's question, thinking she wouldn't ever take her joke seriously.

"W-well I mean, I'm not really attractive enough." Her hands fumble with the end of her tie, "Besides, I'm a police officer, nothing interesting there." Max had crossed her arms on the table while Chloe spoke, head on the spot where her arms meet.

"Makes you an everyday hero." Her short fingernail drags across the surface of their booth table, the silence stretching out as Chloe stares kind of dumbfoundedly at Max.

"I don't think it's very noble, actually it makes me feel like an asshole a lot." _All those people I've hurt or disappointed, their eyes always staring at me. Burning into my brain._ "You saved me." The brunette's sentence presses a weight onto The Punk's chest, sure, she's heard that a lot. In a lot of different situations.

But the last time she heard that… fuck, that was when- "Chloe? Are you alright?" The officer tries to swallow the dry lump in throat, so she takes a quick swig of her coffee.

"Yeah, sorry. I just spaced out for a second. Do you wanna get going?" Max ponders and mulls over the idea, enjoying the time away from the harsh reality waiting outside the glass door. "Yeah sure, can you give me a ride back to my place?" In all honesty, the brunette didn't need a ride, she could walk there easily. But something about the officer's company seems so.. comforting.

"Yeah, of course. Not gonna leave a pretty girl just stranded after I paid for her drink." Max thanks that Chloe walks away to trash their drinks; she won't see the deep blush creeping up the other's neck and cheeks.

They step outside into the chilly evening air, the air reeking with humidity. Chloe throws her leg over the bike, slouching as she eyes the smaller girl. "I've never really rode a motorcycle before.." Max rubs her arm; looking down. "It's fine, I've never driven with anyone else on the bike before."

The Punk's calloused hand reaches out, "We can have our firsts together." Max smiles reflexively, taking her hand and climbing on the back of the bike. The officer hands her the bike's only helmet, not that Chloe ever wore it anyways. The brunette slides it on, finding out the helmet is too big for her head.

Which makes Chloe laugh whole-heartedly when her head turns to make sure Max is comfortable; _that's the cutest thing I've seen in a long while._ She wasn't sure if she heard the brunette giggle too as she cranks the vehicle, revving it slightly. "Hang onto me, it's safer that way!"

The officer feels the other's limber arms wrap around her stomach, deciding then to kick up the kickstand; driving off.

When they make it to the hotel, Chloe stays on the bike; taking the helmet from Max. She switches the bike off, but stays on while Max stands beside it. "I gotta get back to the station, but, uh," the blue-haired checks her pockets until she pulls out a tiny business card; handing it to Max. "Call me, if you need me or anything. I always have my cell on."

Max holds the card carefully, as if it might tear from the slightest movement. "Are you… gonna be okay?" Chloe speaks, clearly hesitant to leave. Max looks up from the card, to see the officer giving her a concerned expression, which Max found to be kind of cute.

"Yeah, I think so." Max nods. After talking with Chloe, she suddenly didn't feel so anxious anymore. She almost wants to beg the officer to stay with her; but she knows that would be irrational of her. _Chloe has responsibilities as an officer, she can't just spend all of her time taking care of me._

"I'll cya later, Max." Chloe throws a cheeky grin at the brunette, before revving the engine and zooming off; casting a cool breeze onto Max.

Max turns to the building, swallowing hard. _It won't kill you, Max,_ she thinks to herself.

 _You're not afraid._


	4. Chapter 4

Max always finds herself sitting by the window in silence, watching the world go by her in what seemed like a matter of minutes. It's like nothing has changed, except she isn't waiting for anyone to come home.

It's kind of nice, actually, even if it does get a bit lonely sometimes. She hears Nathan in the back of her mind occasionally; his drunken slurs, his stumbling footsteps. It makes Max want to run far, far away, even if she realizes it's her mind playing tricks on her.

Sometimes she wants to call Chloe to keep her company, but she knows the police officer has a city to protect. It had been a few days since the whole ordeal, so she felt as if maybe it wouldn't be a bad time to talk to her once more.

 _No, no.._ Max thinks to herself. But she doesn't really know who else she wants to see. All of her old friends are long gone. Something's tugging in the back of her mind, and she remembers Kate. _She's always been there for me, sometimes I wonder where I would be if she hadn't had been there for me._

The brunette's skinny finger draws shapes into the wood lazily, contemplating whether or not she should go see the sweet Christian girl. _There's nobody to tell me that I can't anymore…_

She draws her leather jacket from the rusty coat hanger, finding it peculiar that Nathan's red varsity jacket wasn't on the same hook that it usually was. Max shakes the thought out of her head as she realizes yet again that he wasn't there anymore, and then steps out of the room into the chilly air.

It was busy, as always. Traffic always seemed to end up right in front of the motel, and it was always loud and overbearing. But after so long, Max had gotten used to the sounds of horns and loud trucks until late at night. Max holds her hand out so she could somehow catch a cab amidst the craziness.

Eventually she finds herself standing in front of Kate's apartment, and there's a twinge of nervousness even though she's been here before. She enjoyed visiting Kate though; her house always seemed so quiet and cozy, her living conditions weren't much better than her own but it was nice to have somewhere to feel safe. Max raised her hand to knock on the door.

The door opened a few moments later, revealing a sweet face that Max has always known and trusted. "Max?! Oh my gosh," Kate gasps, wrapping her arms around the small girl. "Come in, come in." Kate says, motioning for Max to step in.

The apartment hasn't changed; everything looking the same as it did a few months ago. "Hey Kate," Max smiles. "How have you been?"

"I'm great now that you've come to see me," The Christian girl speaks with a sweet tone, as she always has. She plops down onto her couch, patting the spot next to her for Max.

"It's been months since I've seen you," Kate states, crossing one leg over the other. "What brings you here? Is everything okay?" She asks, genuine concern coloring her voice.

"I just figured it's been awhile since I've seen you." Max speaks, taking a seat beside of Kate, but also keeping a bit of a distance. "How has, uh, work, been going?"

Kate glances away, as if she felt ashamed. Her eyes are dreary and out-of-focus; unlike a few years ago when they were so full of life and light. Max knew that look all too well; it reminded her of herself.

"Just… gotta to do it to make a living, you know?" Kate says softly. Max knows how much of a pure soul Kate has; helping anyone and everyone in need. She's _always_ there, especially when Max and Nathan were on the brink of homelessness.

"You deserve the world, Kate." Max says sincerely. She knows Kate absolutely hates what she has to do for money; you would never think she was the type to sell her body. But, ever since her family disowned her for the video that leaked a few years back, she had struggled to get back on her feet.

"Thank you… you don't have to feel sorry for me, though." Kate speaks, tucking loose hair behind her ear. "This is the life God has chosen for me, and I just have to be strong."

Max was never religious; maybe she was when she was younger, but she admired Kate's passion and resilience. It's definitely something Max wishes she had.

"Hey, Max." Kate speaks after a few seconds of silence, looking at Max from the corner of her eye. "What's been bothering you?"

The brunette begins to feel a bit self-conscious, noticing that Kate had been eyeing the bruises on her knuckles and her legs. She pulls the sleeves of her leather jacket over her small hands. "Um, what do you mean?"

"Has everything been okay lately?" The Christian asks calmly, careful to not overstep any boundaries. Of course, Kate was always gentle that way. She never pressures you to do anything that you wouldn't want to do.

 _Kate deserves to know_ , Max thinks to herself after a moment. _Afterall, she has been there for me through everything._ But, it's not exactly something Max wanted to confront. It's something she wanted to push back, but she knew she would have to come to terms with eventually.

The brunette balls the sleeves of her jacket in her fists, attempting to ignore the lump in her throat. Kate can tell almost immediately, and then reaches to rest her hands on Max's sleeved ones.

"Max…" Kate says softly. The two girls have always gone to each other for everything; they laugh together, they cry together. The Christian girl knew when Max needed to get something off of her chest.

Max drew a deep breath before losing her composure, knowing she couldn't keep the act up for too much longer. Tears filled her eyes and began to roll down her cheeks, and Kate gently pulled her Max into her arms.

"Please tell me what's been going on," Kate rests her head on Max's shoulder as a comforting gesture, "I'm worried about you."

Max loses control of her senses, beginning to sob into Kate's shoulder, even if she may feel guilty for showing her feelings like this for some reason. Max was at her lowest point and it's something she felt as if she was to blame for.

"I've been so scared," Max cries, as Kate gently pats her back. After a few minutes, the Brunette seemed to calm down and was ready to give an explanation.

"Is it… Nathan?" Kate asks with hesitance. Max almost winces at the name. Max sits up and looks at Kate with blood-shot eyes.

"Nathan was arrested just the other night."

Kate gives her a confused expression. _Right, Kate has no idea what Nathan has done or who he really is._

So as much as Max wants to run away from the past, she know she can't bring herself to lie to Kate. The brunette begins to explain every detail, from the very beginning. Kate listens, sympathy filling her features.

By the end, Max is a shaking, crying mess. Going back to that part in her life, it was overbearing; too much for her to handle at once, now she's dealing with the aftermath of it. Max hopes that Kate can only begin to understand the pain she feels, but it's a type of pain that she would never wish upon others.

"I… I feel like such a bad friend for not knowing that this was happening to you." Kate speaks in a weak voice. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Max shakes her head, not really having a reason for it other than the fact that she was _scared_ of everything around her.

"I'm sorry Kate.. I just.." Max says, drawing a heavy breath. "I'm just so glad you're here."

"Of course, Max. I'm here for you; I'll fight for you, and I'll be praying for you." Kate says. The Christian girl knows exactly how this must feel for Max, how it feels to be made out as if everything is your fault. The emotional mess in front of her was herself back in college.

"I met a nice police officer," Max speaks, somehow her mind _always_ winds back to Chloe. "She saved my life, and helped me get through that rough night."

"God bless her," Kate says, sounding relieved. "I'm glad that there's someone else helping you out as well. You deserve all the help you can get."

Max smiles without even realizing it, fiddling with her thumbs. "I don't know where I would be right now without her, you know?"

 _I wonder what she's up to…_

"Chloe!" The Punk is snatched out of her sleep, opening her heavy eyes to see her bare, bland office before her. _I must've passed out at my desk again, I really need to get some solid sleep. In a bed. That's actually comfortable._ She rubs her eyes for a second, before peering at the door to see who shouted her name.

She knows it's the chief, since he's the only one who calls her that at the office. "Yeah? What is it?" The officer's body cracks as her arms stretch out, standing up to meet her dad at the door. "Come talk with me in my office." He starts to saunter off, before turning and adding, "It's important."

Chloe's eyes roll, dragging her polished boots behind his; settling in the uncomfortable chair that resides in the front of his cluttered desk. She shifts her hips, hoping to get in some kind of comfortable position before he sits in his own seat. "Now," his gruff voice catches The Punk off guard, he only stares at her this way when he knows the conversation won't end well.

"I'm going to tell you this straightforward, okay? I want you to listen _very_ carefully." The chief's hands rub together very slowly, nervously avoiding his daughter's eyes.

"We're going to cut Nathan Prescott a deal-" David couldn't even finish his sentence before Chloe's on her feet, letting the chair topple over. " _What_?! Are you fucking serious?"

"Goddamnit Chloe, you will sit down and show me respect!" David was sure this side of her died with her rebellion, now disappointed to find out it's only alive and raging more than ever.

"No. I caught him red fucking handed, he's guilty! You can't just do that!" The man's thick fingers rubs the bridge of his nose, knowing this is how she would've reacted.

"Then you're going to have to do some private work." Chloe's rage seemed to simmer at this statement, private work is only for detectives.

"What do you mean?" The chief shifts in his seat till he's comfortable, throwing his daughter a warning glance. Chloe shifted uncomfortably, knowing that this wouldn't be an easy task. There was always _some_ kind of catch.

"You're going to have to convince the victim to testify against Nathan." The sentence hit Chloe like a stack of bricks, crushing her chest so she can't get back up.

"What? My word isn't good enough?" Her head shakes, running a nervous hand through her blue hair. _I can't just let him go free… but I can't do that to Max. Hasn't she already been through enough?_

"How long do I have?" The officer's voice turns into weak matter, knowing this is her duty; even if it is harsh.

"A month. Nathan's father is away on business, and won't be back until then. So… if you can convince the victim before then, I'll cancel the deal." By the time David finishes his information, he's standing with his back facing Chloe; knowing this is the only way. "Understand that Nathan will walk free if the girl doesn't testify."

Chloe can't believe the words she's hearing, but now all she begins to hear is her heart pounding from the rage filling her every sense.

"I can't believe this. I thought this job was about justice and helping people." The girl's eyes start to feel watery, rushing the palms of her hands in hopes to prevent the tears from coming.

"That's the whole reason I got this fucking job. You convinced me, dad. You told me I'd be helping people, doing good things. Things that could do so much more for people who need it."

"You were the best officer on the force. And I… I actually looked up to you, now you're letting this… this punk ass rich kid run free?" Chloe's voice cracks, unable to keep up her tough girl facade.

Her emotions always get the best of her, right now she can't decipher whether it's anger or sadness. Anger's the first to boil to the surface, somehow making her feel like someone else deserves it other than herself. "Thought you were fucking better than that, _Madsen._ "

Chloe's lanky arms swat the folders full of heavily stapled papers into the air, letting them fly and rain around the room. Her chest heaves, not daring to look back as she stomps away from his office, not caring if the people saw her little meltdown. She rushed to her bike sitting outside, and didn't even look back as she left burn marks onto the road from her speed.

When she reaches the cemetery, she knows the exact path to walk on. Even with her blurry vision, it's a weekly routine that's mimicked in her bones.

The headstone is simple, as a police officer she couldn't afford more. Chloe's bloodshot eyes read the name, over and over, always needing the confirmation that her best friend's body lies six feet under.

The sadness in her bones finally win over, and her legs buckle. "Fucking hell, Rachel!" Chloe wasn't sure what to do with her hands, clasping the green grass between her fingers. "I'm sorry I come around so often," The Punk's raspy laugh shakes out; using her tie to wipe the tears spilling out of her eyes. "I guess some things don't change."

"I uh, saved someone like a week ago. A girl. Max. Yeah," Chloe smiles when she thinks about the sweet girl, clearing her throat before continuing.

"Anyways, I saved Max from her asshole boyfriend. This guy, Nathan, he's with the Prescott family. Those stupid rich fucks." She leans back onto her butt to stretch out her legs, rubbing her eyes again to make sure there would be no more tears.

"I think they're bribing dad, he wants to make a deal with them instead of putting 'em through court. And the girl, Max, she's like fucking terrified of people. I don't know what that guy did to her but she would barely even look at me. I can't touch her without her flinching away." Her fist smacks the hard, fleshy ground.

"You know my dad, he _always_ fucking fights for what's right. Now a little money comes along and he immediately gives into it. God, what the _fuck_ Rachel!"

Chloe buries her face into her hands, peeping up from between them to stare at the headstone. Her hands slide away again, using them to grip the sides of her legs and lock them against her chest.

" _Jesus_ what do I do? I wish you could be here to guide me like you always did. We fought for this, Rachel. We always did what was right. We were unstoppable, you and me."

Rocking back and forth, The Punk's face reddens from the stream of hot water being held back; letting the dam finally break after so long. "You and me… and now…"

Chloe's bloodshot eyes lift up again, searching the sky as if desperately searching for an answer.

"It's just me."


	5. Chapter 5

Max had been rummaging through her closet when she spotted her old ukulele, which only needed a slight tuning before it became playable. And that's how the brunette spends her Sunday morning, cross-legged in the middle of her bedroom floor strumming a random string of cords together.

She thinks back to the day she purchased it, and how sometimes she would sing to Nathan with it when he fell ill. Now she frowns on those particular bittersweet memories, hating to remember her abuser.

So instead she trudges past those, and to the ones that made her happy. _I don't have anyone to sing to now… or no one to sing as I play._

She places the ukulele where she had found it, not really wanting to think about the memories that came with along with it anymore. She lets out a heavy breath, realizing that now she has nothing to occupy her time.

Max peers over at her newly purchased phone, with the money she had been saving up combined with the money that Kate gave her; it was fairly easy to get it along with a two-year plan.

Of course she only has one number in it; _Kate._ The brunette's visit with Kate had been sweet but short, and she's been feeling more lonely than ever. Max's mind wanders to the nice officer that had saved her, and she suddenly remembers that Chloe had given her a card with her number on it.

She extracts the card from the pocket of her jacket, yet again clutching it as if it might fall apart from the slightest movement. Max snags her phone, and gradually begins to dial the number written on the card; hoping the officer would answer.

 _It wouldn't hurt to bother her again, right?_

—

Ever since Chloe's tiny meltdown, David has given her more time off than usual; the why is obvious. Chloe has been on edge, stressing out over something as simple as breaking the news to Max.

She doesn't know exactly _how_ she wants to do it, but that part isn't as important to her; what she is _actually_ worried about is Max's reaction. The last thing Chloe wants is for Max to have to deal with more pain. _That girl has dealt with enough these past years, she doesn't need more of anything that could make her upset; especially reliving any of those abusive memories._

She gives out a heavy sigh, settling back into her seat. David is letting her off this afternoon, so her eyes keep wandering to the clock; finding that the time is going much too slow.

Chloe rolls her eyes and scoffs, pulling a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from her pocket. She knows she's not allowed to smoke inside of the police station, but she didn't care. The never-ending knot of stress unravels slowly as smoke occupies her lungs.

She feels calm for a few moments, ante her phone vibrates in her pocket. Flicking the ashes of her cigarette into an ashtray she always hides behind a pile of paperwork, she pulls her phone out.

"Officer Price." Chloe speaks into the phone, taking a draw off her cigarette. "H-hey Chloe, it's Max."

Chloe beams at the sound of the small girl's voice, very much relieved it wasn't a call for work. She barely ever had time to just sit and chat with a friend. "Hey, you. How are things?"

"Better, I guess. I got a new phone so, I figured I'd give you a call." Max explains, timidly shifting from the other end of the line.

"You called at the right time," Chloe speaks, leaning to put her cigarette into the ashtray. "I… uh," She stuttered, swallowing hard. _Come on Chloe, we have to tell her and get it over with._

"I have something to talk to you about today," Chloe adds, wedging her phone between her shoulder and her ear as her hands fluttered around her crowded desktop. She hates to be the bearer of bad news, but the sooner, the better. "In fact, I'm getting off work soon. Wanna hang at my place?"

"It's not anything… bad, right?" Max says in a small voice, her heart slowly climbing up her throat.

Chloe bit the inside of her cheek in thought, suddenly feeling a twinge of guilt. _I wish it wasn't._ The officer couldn't stand to hear Max sound worried, so she quickly sputtered out a "No! No, of course not!"

Max lets out an audible sigh of relief, in which she was also glad that Chloe had taken the initiative since the brunette was a bit anxious about bringing up the topic of seeing Chloe again.

"I'll see you in-" Chloe pauses, looking up at the clock on the wall, seeing that she still has about an hour before she clocks out. _Fuck it._ "I'll see you in about ten, yeah? I'll come pick you up."

" _Oh_ , okay... I'll see you soon." Max replies, hanging up on her end. Chloe shoves her phone back into her pocket and stood up from her office chair to stretch out her body. She had snuck out countless times before on boring days like these, but she hopes this wouldn't be the day that she'd get caught for it; she's already in enough trouble for her little freak-out on the chief.

Soon enough, after quickly sneaking by multiple coworkers and the front desk, she was already on the road. She felt a little like a rebellious teenager again; except this time she was skipping out on her _job_ , which had a bit more of a detrimental consequence than just skipping out on school. The officer somehow memorized the direction to the cheap motel, even though she had only taken the trip twice. Plus, it isn't that far of a distance from the police station.

Before she knows it, Chloe is already pulling into the parking lot. She stops right in front of the small brunette, who is sitting on the stairs, wrapped in the leather jacket that was still much too big for her. The Punk can't help but smile. "Miss me?" Chloe says, smirking as Max raised her eyes to meet Chloe's.

"Hi," Max replies shyly, standing up from the stairs and brushing any dirt off of her shorts. "Ready to go?" Chloe asks, already pulling a helmet out for Max.

"Yeah, but…" The brunette pauses for a second, scratching the back of her head. "What did you need to talk to me about?"

Chloe swallowed nervously. She almost forgot that this was her goal for today; she has to remind herself that she isn't here to just hang out with Max. "Don't worry about it, I'll let you know when we get to my place. Here ya go," She replies, placing the helmet on Max's head; patting the top of it afterwards. "Hop on."

—

The ride to The Punk's apartment wasn't long, but Max realizes how far away from her own abode it really is. She notes that it doesn't seem too big while Chloe is trying to unlock the door. "Uh, by the way, it might be a bit gross or something. I'm barely ever here so not like I do much when I am." Her shoulder shoves the door open, tossing her keys on the nightstand with a bowl of fruit on it.

Max gulps while slowly making her entrance, staring at the fruit before realizing it's fake. Then her eyes roam over the rest of what she can see, which is really nothing. "I like your… fruit." Chloe cracks a lopsided smile, "Delicious, isn't it? The real ones are the fridge."

The brunette finds that her gaze keeps landing back on the officer, who pushed her sleeves up to the elbow; revealing the slightly tanned and toned forearms.

"You can uh, move away from the door. Y'know? I know my apartment is small but that's not the best part." Max nervously nods, having never really been in anyone else's apartment besides Kate's after her relationship began.

Her small feet make it to the living room, the most obvious thing being Chloe's large TV. The officer seemed to have disappeared for a moment, so the brunette takes it upon herself to look around more.

She takes note of how there were barely any pictures, maybe only four. All containing either only a girl with luscious brown hair, or the same girl but with Chloe too. The apartment is practically bare, Max looked at everything she could; so she sits on the couch waiting for her previous companion to return.

"Sorry, I was making coffee. Gotta wait for it to brew and all." The officer plops onto the other end of the couch with a heavy sigh, happy to finally be able to relax.

They sit in silence for a few moments, comfortably. "Hey, Chloe?" The Punk's eyebrows raise at the younger girl, sniffing slightly before, "Yeah?" Max fiddles with her fingers in her lap, nervous about whatever Chloe needed to speak to her about.

 _I hope it has nothing to do with the case…_ "What did you need to talk to me about?" A loud crash summons in the back of the officer's mind, bringing her back to the reality of the situation once more. Her mouth opens but only a beep is heard, she closes it to turn her head.

"Oh, the coffee is ready. C'mon, we'll talk in the kitchen." Max is hesitant to follow, but does as she's told; sitting on a stool that resides in front of the bar of the kitchen.

The brunette watches Chloe move from behind her bangs, thinking that her uniform really suits her. "You like cream or anything in yours?" The small girl jumps slightly, blushing from the embarrassment of possibly being caught.

"No," Max responds, trying not to seem too awkward. The brunette actually does, but she's to nervous to actually list what she likes. She forces herself to look at other things in the apartment other than Chloe, admiring how much nicer it was than her own home.

"Here you go," Chloe places a warm mug before Max; the brunette's eyes watched the other's hand as it moved away from the coffee. "Um, thank you."

Chloe nods as a _you're welcome_ , and sits to enjoy her own cup of coffee. They sit in silence for a few moments, as Max's eyes roam around the apartment once more; but her eyes seem to wander to one particular picture of Chloe, with her arm wrapped around a beautiful girl, the same girl she sees in a lot of the other photos as well. She looks like a model, almost. Max, being a tad bit nosy, wanted to ask about it; but Chloe beats her to it.

Chloe notices the small girl's eyes fixated on the picture, knowing that she would ask about it sooner or later. Chloe turns to look at it, smiling softly. "That's Rachel."

Max felt her face burn, knowing that she was caught. "You... look like good friends," Max says, noting the goofy smile on Chloe's face in the photo.

"That's putting it mildly." Chloe's voice has a sudden sadness to it. Max glances over to the officer, who's looking down into her coffee as if she's far away in her thoughts. "She was everything."

 _Was?_ The brunette immediately has a thousand different questions running through her mind, but she knows it'd be inconsiderate to ask.

"I uh," Chloe visibly swallowed, "I met her when I got the job, she was my partner." She explains, stirring her coffee.

"We _always_ took on the most dangerous jobs. Together, we were gonna kick the world's ass," Chloe chuckles slightly. "She was smart, and strong… she always saved my ass when I needed it. But when the time came, I was never able to save her."

Max listens attentively, her heart beginning to feel a bit heavy. The brunette was speechless, she didn't know exactly how she could console Chloe; but she _hated_ to see her look so miserable.

"Sorry," Chloe laughs, trying her hardest to cover up how she truly felt. She takes a sip of her coffee after so long of just staring down into the cup. "I'm getting too sappy."

"I'm so sorry," Max actually did feel sad for her loss, even though she doesn't really know either person. The officer shakes her head, "Don't say that." _I want to make Chloe feel better, come on Max! Say something right, for once._

"I'm serious, Chloe, you shouldn't have to-" The Punk's chest heaves, turning her head to see Max's eyes. "I said don't!" The last word was loud, loud enough to scare the smaller girl. Her body instinctively pulls back, the brunette's pointy elbow clashing against the hot mug; pushing it off the edge to a shattering demise.

 _Oh god, not again! Please not again!_ Her head shakes violently, Nathan's large shadow casting over her own. " _You can never do anything right!_ " She tries to run but her jacket is caught, "Please! I'm sorry I didn't mean it! Don't hurt me!" Max's heart pounds faster and faster before her vision starts to get blurry.

Nathan's shadow grows greater; looming. His throat reverberating every one of her mistakes, bringing all of her flaws to one big spoonful; shoving it in her mouth. But Max can't swallow it, it's superabundant. The lack of breath causes the tears to flow, wracking her body with violent shakes. "Please, stop it!" _I thought it was over! Chloe said it was over!_ "Chloe! Save me!"

" _Are you fucking serious, Max?"_ Nathan screams when his large hand rises, but the blow never lands. When her eyes open again, only Chloe is there. Chloe, with her worried eyes and tight grip. "Max, are you okay? Please say something!" The officer's hands grip the girl's thin arms, speaking to her in the same soft voice that clouds her dreams at night.

The brunette's lungs are calm, but still feels as if they exhaled fire. She realizes they are on the floor now, in a corner, even though she has no recognition of how they got there. "I-I'm okay." Chloe sighs heavily, closing her eyes; bringing the younger girl into her arms. _I… I can't tell Max to testify. Not like this. She's not okay… fuck. What am I going to do?_

Max didn't feel scared or collapsed as the older girl holds her. She feels… safe; like a real home. The feeling is so foreign to Max that she pushes the officer away, scared to let anyone close. Chloe seems disappointed at this, her worry replaced with hurt. The Punk tugs her bottom lip between her teeth, chewing it slowly as she stands. "Are… are you sure?"

Max felt a little lightheaded and shaky, her quickened heartbeat reverberating all throughout her body. She clenches her fists as an attempt to try and regain her self-control. The small girl nods frantically, "Yeah." She responds.

Then the officer's tall, slim body turns and walks out of the room. The smaller girl panics; not wanting to be alone. "Wait!" She scrambles to her feet, exiting the kitchen to find the officer standing in front of the door. "Let's just go out, Max. Like to eat or something. My home doesn't feel too homey right now. I'll meet you outside."

Chloe exits, careful to not slam the door. Max wasn't sure what she did wrong, before turning her head to see the broken glass and stained floor. _I should clean this up, it's my mess. But I don't want to keep Chloe waiting._ She decides to at least get it off the floor, putting the broken glass on the counter and wiping the floor with a rag from the sink.

When she's out the door, Max notices Chloe leaned against her bike. Legs crossed, cigarette in mouth, hand on utility belt. She thinks how she wouldn't mind staring a bit longer at the sight, but deems that idea weird and intrusive. "So," Chloe tosses her cigarette bud onto the pavement; crushing it with the heel of her boot.

"Where does Max wanna go to eat?" The officer clasps her hand together, waiting patiently for the answer. "Well, I-I don't know." The brunette nervously peers down at her feet, pushing a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "Oh no, you're picking. C'mon. Tell me what you want." Max had never really been anywhere in a long time, and she didn't have a lot of money.

"Well, I don't have much money-" The Punk shakes her head, "I'm paying." _Oh man, she's already done a lot for me._ "Nowhere expensive then," the small girl shrugs. But the officer seems determined to make this girl happy, she wanted to see her smile and- well, she can't quite place the reason why. Chloe chews her cheek, letting the breeze drift by before saying, "I'd go anywhere for you."

Max finds that the wind must have taken her breath with it; the small statement pumping her heart faster. And their eyes never disconnected, Chloe's face is hard; showing the truth she spoke. But the wind blows her bangs across her eyes, breaking the eye contact that held Max's tongue. "I… I would- well, I mean that I could-" She stops herself before sounding like a babbling idiot.

"I could really go for a milkshake."


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter begins from the end of last chapter, and then the rest of the displaced events happen over about the span of a month; chapter 7 will continue as normal though. Lots of fluff below, enjoy!**

—

"You ask, and you receive." Chloe says as she approaches the booth that Max was already seated in, setting a milkshake in front of the small girl and then plopping down into her own seat to enjoy her drink.

"Thanks," Max smiles softly, taking the cup into her hands. The brunette felt a bit guilty that Chloe had given her so much and she had nothing to give in return, but the officer insisted. Max is thankful, though. She has been craving a milkshake for a good while now; although it might not mix well with the coffee she had beforehand.

The brunette's eyes scan the small restaurant, suddenly remembering that this used to always be her favorite place to get milkshakes. She glances over to Chloe, wondering if the blue-haired girl enjoyed this place as much as she did herself. That would simply be another thing that they had in common. She sips on her milkshake, savoring the flavor.

"Feels good to just get out of the house," the officer says after a significant silence among the two, pulling the small girl out of her thoughts. "It was getting a bit stuffy in there, anyways."

Max understands that statement, since she can't even stand being in her own apartment for too long. Which instantly reminds her, she'd have to go back to that apartment tonight; that same apartment that brought her nothing but flashbacks and bittersweet memories. She hates being alone as well, it was her among her biggest fears.

"Stop thinking so loud," Chloe says, making Max jump a little. The Punk somehow always reads her like an open book. "Are you doing okay?"

Max suddenly felt a gloominess come over her like a dark cloud. At moments like this, she wishes time would go a little slower; with just her and Chloe. But she knows it'll all be over and she'd have to wait a while to see the officer again. She feels a bit ridiculous as she swallows the lump in her throat, knowing that this isn't anything she should cry about; but she already is anyways.

"Max, hey…" Chloe says softly with concern coloring her voice, leaning closer. The officer wonders if she said anything wrong, or if Max was just dealing with the effects of her traumatic experiences. Whatever it was, Chloe hated to see her this way and was willing to do just about anything to make her feel okay again.

"Talk to me, what's on your mind?" She adds, tilting her head to get a better look at Max's face. She didn't know what to say at times like these, but she hoped that she could pull Max out of this. "Are you… are you upset about the mug incident? We can always replace-"

"Can I tell you something?" Max asks softly, lifting her head to look at Chloe. The blue-haired girl nods immediately.

"It gets so lonely at home." Max admits, although it feels weird to openly convey her feelings. She trusts Chloe like that, though. The officer doesn't say anything, as if she's in shock or if she doesn't understand.

"I-I'm tired of being reminded of him… I'm tired of being alone. I hate that place." Max squeezes her eyes shut, tensing up in her seat. Chloe almost wants to reach over and hold her hand, as a comforting gesture, but she didn't know if that would be good right now.

"You don't have to be alone." She suggests, after a few seconds of silence. The officer gulps, already regretting the words. "You can hang at my place. I probably won't be around much because of my job and all, but you would be safe." _If the chief finds out… fuck. I can't let her tear herself down either, so dad will just have to suck it up._

The brunette's hair swishes back and forth, "Oh no, I couldn't. That's your home." Chloe swats her hand, waving away her denial. "It'll be alright, Max. You can just clean up or something. If you really don't like it then you can leave while I'm at work." The offer seemed nice enough to the smaller girl, and she decides that seems pretty fair.

"Well-" She tries to thank the officer before sneezing loudly, covering her nose. Chloe smiles thinking that it was a really cute sneeze for her companion. "Are you okay?" She reaches her hand out to place under the smaller girl's bangs, her forehead feeling especially warm. "I'm okay." The statement came out stuffy, and Chloe knows she's probably gotten a cold from riding on her bike so much.

"Well, it's getting to that time of year. I'm glad you're using my jacket," the officer's smirk stretches. Secretly, she loves seeing Max wear her jacket. "How about you get a to-go cup from the counter? I've got to go to the restroom real quick." She gives Max one last smile before sliding out of the booth, heading to the door with the girl's sign; pushing it open with her shoulder.

Once inside, Chloe heads up to the mirror. Her false smile falls apart, seeing her face. She tightens her jaw, gripping the edge of the sink. _When are you gonna tell her? You can't put this off. I can't tell her now, and I don't know how she'll be later._ Shaking her head, she turns on the faucet and splashes water across her hardened features.

"Another shitty day." She breathes out, the burden of guilt beginning to weigh on her. _Fuck,_ Chloe thinks to herself. _Why does it have to be this way?_

She looks at herself one more time in the mirror and scoffs, before turning to head out of the bathroom. Immediately upon exiting, she notices Max talking to a man working at the cash register. She admires her bright smile and lighthearted laugh for a moment before approaching her.

"Hey, who's this?" Chloe asks, eyeing the man. "I'm Warren, old friend of Max," He replies, holding out his hand. "Chloe." The blue-haired girl says, hesitantly reaching to grasp his hand.

"We've just been catching up," the brunette says, smiling. The officer is happy to see Max smile like that, it's something she doesn't do often. "It's been awhile." Max adds.

"Yeah! It feels like it's been a million years since we last hung out." Warren speaks, cradling his chin in his hand. "Speaking of hanging out, maybe we should go to one of those drive-ins like we used to. Y'know, to reminisce the old times."

Chloe squints her eyes at his sudden request. She _definitely_ didn't want Max to go out with this boy. What if he made a move on her and made her uncomfortable? She wouldn't be there to protect Max, she wasn't having it.

"Why not?" Max replies, and Chloe grimaces a little. _Stop it, Chloe, pull yourself together._

"Sweet, what's your number? I'll hit you up if I happen to see any pop up in the area." Warren asks, pulling out a pen.

Chloe felt so _angry_ towards this man, but for what reason? She doesn't know and doesn't care. "Come on Max, you're not feeling well." Chloe suddenly speaks out, gently putting her hands on Max's shoulders.

"Wait-" Max says, but before she could even begin her sentence, but Chloe was already guiding her out of the restaurant. "I don't want you to feel even worse, let's head home." The officer says calmly, turning her head towards Warren and giving him her most intimidating expression before exiting with Max.

—

Chloe had been staring at the same spot while waiting for the tomato soup to heat up, her microwave wasn't the best and she wanted it all to be warm before giving it to Max. It's been a few days since they got the milkshake, the officer has stayed home every one of those days. Even her father called, but she insisted she just needed bedrest and she would be fine after a while.

 _Nothing's wrong with me, but I have to take care of Max._ The beeping of the finished soup pulls Chloe out of her thoughts, _just gotta keep Max okay._ She grabs the bowl and a spoon, making her way to her bedroom. She sees Max had fallen back asleep, smiling to herself at the sight. Her arm reaches out and shakes her sick companion gently, "Hey, sleepy-head."

Max groans and turns her head to see Chloe leaning over her. "Hey, blue-head." The soup holder snorts, and ushers Max to sit up. "I made you some simple tomato soup, it should help you feel better; or at least fill your belly up." She places the warm bowl in the small girl's lap, handing her the spoon. But the brunette is still half asleep, and spills some on her shirt while trying to scoop some in her mouth.

"Max! You're gonna get that everywhere," Chloe groans. She pulls the desk chair beside the bed, taking the spoon and scooping it up for her. The officer's steady hand brings the spoon up to the small girl's mouth, feeding her. Her other hand goes under Max's chin, holding her head up as she tries not to fall asleep again. "I'll try not to buy a medicine that doesn't make you so drowsy next time, alright?" She speaks softly, trying not to spill any soup herself; _Max would make a snarky remark about it later._

The smaller girl ate all of it willingly, the whole time spoon fed by the officer. She immediately falls back asleep after, Chloe smiling at her peaceful figure.

—

The second week of being home made it harder for Chloe to pretend to be sick, but luckily her training in being a delinquent can still come in handy. _I know I need to go back soon, but Max is almost healed. Maybe after she's okay again._ But today is the day the officer had decided to fill her duties, talking to Max about testifying. Her hands sweat and her throat fills with a sour liquid before approaching the smaller girl, who still lays in her bed. "Hey, Max. How do you feel?"

Her sick companion looks up from Chloe's phone, stating earlier it was more fun to play the games on her phone than her own. "Better than last week, I thought I wasn't going to make it. I don't know what I caught, but I wouldn't wish it upon anybody." Max smiles up at Chloe, placing the device down. "I just had to ask you a few questions. It's about your case," she states slowly. "I mean, if that's okay," she quickly adds.

The happiness visibly drains from Max's face, and The Punk immediately regrets her decision. _It's something you have to do, just do it. Rip it off, like a band-aid._

"Y-yeah, what about it?" The brunette asks timidly, almost hesitant with her reply. Chloe plops down on the edge of the bed, leaning to rest her elbows on her knees. "So," she says, drawing a heavy sigh. The Punk rubs her large hands together while trying to find the right way to piece her words together, hoping she doesn't say anything that'll upset Max in some way.

"How would you feel about testifying against Nathan?" She rushes in one breath, turning her head to look at Max. The brunette looks down; the sheets balled up in her fists. Worry suddenly hits Chloe like a train; she knew she shouldn't have brought it up. But, she had to get it over with, no matter what reaction she was about to receive from her companion. The smaller girl is gentle and sensitive; the officer knows she isn't going to take this well.

Max goes completely silent, but in her mind, all she can picture is walking into the courtroom and seeing the man who haunts her every last thought, her memories, her dreams. It's something she can't bear, her grip strengthens on the sheets, hoping to get the sound of his ear-piercing screams out of her mind. She's so far back in her memories, that she doesn't realize that she's already crying and Chloe's large hands have a firm grip on her shoulders.

"Max, hey…" The officer says gently, trying not to frighten her too much. _Fuck, I knew I shouldn't have done it._ Max's eyes are dreary and out of focus, Chloe knows that she does this when her mind takes her away, she pulls the small girl into her arms; carefully and calmly.

"I'm so afraid," Max whimpers into Chloe's shoulder. The brunette didn't pull away so Chloe tugs her a little closer, hoping she isn't overstepping any boundaries. But the smaller girl feels safe this way; with Chloe's strong arms wrapped around her. It's almost a foreign feeling.

"I know," the officer says in a silent whisper, "You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with."

In Chloe's mind, this was harder than any job she had to do at the station.

—

A furious storm whips at The Punk's windows, rain crashing and beating against the wood panels. The thunder lights up the sky, shining brightly through the closed blinds. "It's been the first big storm for long while now, I can't remember the last time it was like this." Chloe's grin cracks across her face while Max admires the way the glow of the candle-light makes her eyes glisten.

"I don't like the thunder, it's too loud. I don't like the loudness, Chloe." Max shivers from the fear creeping down her spine, taking a gulp of air. The officer's grin diminishes as she peers over at the small girl, the look on her face striking a chord deep inside her chest. "I won't let it hurt you. You're safe with me, Max."

 _I feel weak, Chloe is always my support now. She never leaves my side, not that I'm complaining…_ "I know but this is just a silly thunderstorm, I should be able to handle it." A crash of thunder rumbles beneath the floor, making Max quickly grab her companion's hand; the grip almost feeling lethal. The grin finds its way back onto Chloe's face after seeing their hands intertwined.

"You seem to be handling it pretty well," she says with a cocky grin. The brunette glances down at their hands, rolling her eyes. "Shut up, Chloe," she whispers; not letting go of the large hand enclasped in her own.

—

"You never believe me when I tell you my theories, you're _so_ stubborn," Max scoffs. Chloe shrugs with a smirk, laid across the couch while Max sits at the end; with a bowl of extra-buttery popcorn beside Max's thigh. She leans over to hand the taller girl a handful of the popped kernels, the other girl always complaining there wasn't enough.

"Chloe, lift up your hand." The brunette instructs, waiting for her blue-haired companion to raise her hand hesitantly before place her palm against the other. "Look," the small girl points at their skin contact, showing how much smaller her hand is. The officer bends her fingertips down to cover Max's, laughing at the difference. "You're so little, Max, how do you even survive?"

The girl shrugs, smiling, before placing a piece of popcorn onto her tongue to make it stick; poking the officer's leg to get her attention. "Co-eh! Look!" She points at it, laughing while The Punk sits up to see what she's doing. "Oh, very impressive. But can you do this?" Chloe pops a popcorn into the air, catching it with her mouth; chewing before swallowing.

The brunette frowns and crinkles her nose, "You win this round, Price." Chloe smirks and turns her head when she feels something light hit her skin. "Did you just-?" Her eyebrows crease at her companion while the other's head looks elsewhere; acting innocent. But the officer doesn't mind, and tosses a popped kernel back at the small girl; earning a scoff matched with a look of fake disbelief. "Did you just-?" Max mocks, taking a handful of the edible contents; _if you want to play like that, so can I!_

Chloe's jaw hangs open, "Oh, now you're gonna get it." She stands slowly, grabbing the whole bowl. "You asked for it!" She flips the bowl upside down, making it rain popped, buttery corn on the smaller girl. "No, Chloe!" She laughs, trying to throw some of it back at her friend.

After a few minutes of chasing each other around with handfuls of popcorn, chucking the snack at each other from behind furniture; they're sitting on the floor, amidst the buttery mess that they made together. "I totally beat you," Chloe states, trying to keep a straight face before both of the girls burst into another giggling fit.

"I don't know, I got you pretty good." Max says, flicking a piece of popcorn off of her own sweater. She glances over to the blue haired girl, who gives her a cheeky grin. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Max says curiously, followed by a small giggle.

"You have popcorn in your hair," Chloe laughs, reaching over to pull the piece out of her soft brown hair. _She's so cute._

—

The cold weather has made itself obvious, even with the heating on Chloe's apartment still had cold leaks. But she only has one blanket, since she lives alone she never found the use of another one. And now that she's found herself sharing half the thick comforter with Max on her bed, she's kind of thankful for it; but also not. "Max, you're such a cover hog!" They pull each end, both trying to get plenty to keep warm.

"Am not! You just- you just have longer legs!" Chloe laughs at that, "Well, I can't help I'm bigger than you. You're just naturally small." In the end of their tug-of-war game, The Punk wins with her strength. So Max pouts, crossing her arms and huffing with a pursed lips. "You're mean." The officer has a natural soft spot for this girl, and scoots closer so they can share easier. "Is that better, darling?" She speaks softly, with a gentle smirk.

The redness in the brunette's cheeks makes her face feel hot, and tries to cower behind her short hair to hide the obvious blush. "No, I have share it with you." _I- I don't think we've ever been this close before…_

"Oh, it can't be _that_ bad," Chloe says with a smug grin, cradling her chin in her hand. "We could keep each other warm." The Punk suggests in hopes that Max didn't find it a completely ridiculous idea.

"R-Really?" Max replies, her face feeling warmer and warmer by the second. The small girl enjoyed the officer's presence more than she'd like to admit; but the blankets weren't doing much to protect her from the freezing temperatures of the room.

"Uh, y-yeah," Chloe chokes out with a smile that made Max feel warm head-to-toe. "Wouldn't want you to be-"

Chloe trailed off as she felt Max slide under the blankets to get closer, snuggling up against her side. "...too cold," The officer says, relaxing against the pillows with a small sigh. Chloe gently snakes her arm around Max, tugging her closer.

Any lingering feelings of anxiousness that Max had slowly drifted away as she breathed in the scent of the girl holding her close; cigarettes, coffee, and strawberry shampoo. _This is good,_ Max thought to herself. She was sure that her companion was already asleep, knowing how tired she is from always working so hard. Max eventually drifts to sleep as well, losing herself in the comfort of Chloe.


	7. Chapter 7

The annoying, ear-piercing beep kept going, over and over. But Chloe didn't want to move, the small girl wrapped up in her arms. They fell asleep sharing the covers, and when Max had a bad dream, she pushed her way into the other's arms. And the officer held her tightly, smelling the scent of her own shampoo in the girl's soft, brown hair. _It smells better on her, even my clothes look better on her._

Finally, she finds the source of the tone, accepting the call that's been ringing for 5 minutes. "Whaaat?" She croaks out, her eyes still shut. " _Chloe! Where the hell have you been?!_ " The Punk's body lurches forward, panic surging through her heart. " _Never mind, it's almost been a whole damn month, with no word from you! Nathan has been bailed out of jail._ "

Her teeth clench together so tightly that she was sure they would break, the grip on her phone becoming lethal. Her eyes land on Max, the girl who is sleeping peacefully; something she never did before. The officer could hear her father's heavy sigh. She didn't want to wake Max, so she gets up and goes to the kitchen quietly before responding.

"What the fuck do you mean he's been bailed out? Who bailed him out?" Chloe balances the phone between her ear and shoulder, trying to make a cup of coffee to calm herself down. " _His father, of course. The press never figured out Nathan was in jail, and his father wanted to keep it that way. Where the hell have you been? No one's seen you around the station for weeks. Your goddamn office is collecting dust._ "

Chloe licks her lips, her mind blank; _no excuse to save me now._ "I've- I've been doing what you asked me to." She wasn't wrong, he asked her to spend time with Max and she did. The coffee machine beeps, signaling the dark liquid is ready to be devoured. "I've been with Max, trying to convince her. I mean-"

" _You've been with the victim this entire time?_ " David's voice was both curious and pissed off. "Quit calling her that! She has a name!" Her fist pounds into the counter-top with every few words. A drawn out, disappointed sigh leaks out of her mobile, " _I told you not to get attached._ "

"Dad, I'm not-" She shakes her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm not attached, alright?" The sound of shuffling feet causes Chloe to turn her head, seeing a sleepy Max standing at the kitchen archway. "I'll talk to you about it later, I promise I'll pull through." She ends the call without hesitation, turning to face the younger girl.

"Who were you talking to?" Max speaks raspily, rubbing the sleep from her half-lidded eyes. Chloe forces a grin on her face to cover her frustrations with the chief.

"It's uh... it's nothing. Just business, is all." Chloe scratches the back of her head. The last thing she wanted was to make Max concerned or upset. "I made some coffee, want some?" Chloe says, already turning to open the cabinets.

"Sure," Max says, sluggishly pulling herself up to sit in a stool. The small girl watches Chloe as she pulled two mugs off of the top shelf; jealous of her obvious height and her ability to reach things without having to climb on chairs and countertops for them. Max always enjoyed watching Chloe do whatever she was doing; she thought it was humorous to see how concentrated the officer gets when she plays video games or when she's doing paperwork for the police station.

"Oh, yeah... It has been a while since you've been to work, hasn't it?" Max asks softly, feeling a twinge of guilt.

"Hm? Yeah, what about it?" Chloe responds, pouring the hot liquid into the mugs. She gently hisses when she burns her finger on the steam coming up, putting the tip of her finger in her mouth in an attempt to cool the sting of it.

"I've been keeping you out of work this whole time," The brunette states, biting her lower lip. Even after all this time, she still couldn't think of a reason as to why the officer has done all of this for her. Max felt as if she didn't deserve any of it.

Chloe turns, eyebrows furrowed, taking her finger away from her mouth. "No, no you haven't. To be honest, it's nice to take a break away from that place. It gets really dull and boring sitting in a desk all day, filing stupid papers that doesn't help anybody. Everything seemed so gray and sad." She turns, handing Max the warm mug.

"But you've brightened it up, haven't you, sunshine?" It was almost a whisper, their fingers touching as the officer leans in with a smile. The small girl is dumbfounded, her lips slightly parted. Without the counter separating their bodies, Max was sure they would've been closer. She couldn't find the words to say, Chloe's stare feeling more intense as the silence extends between them.

She clears her throat, finally discontinuing their burning touch, mumbling a 'thank you.'

But Chloe stays, leaned in close. Even through her messy bangs, she could see the details of the officer's worn out features; her slightly yellowed teeth as her tongue darts out to lick across her bottom lip. The Punk cradles her chin in her palm, staring at the brunette lovingly. "Anything you want to do today? I know we've been cooped up in here for a few days."

Max swallows a large gulp of her coffee, already warming up. "Could we go to the store? There's some things we need to get for the house." She places her mug down, before realizing what she said. "I mean, your house." Chloe's smirk only grows wider, finally backing away. "Store it is. Make a list so we don't forget anything."

"I've already made a mental list, I have good memory. I'll remember everything." Max smiles cheekily, before taking another sip of coffee. The Punk tongues the inside of her bottom lip, crossing her arms. "If we forget anything, I'm holding you responsible because you were too lazy to make a list." Chloe says jokingly, grinning at the small girl. "I'm going to go ahead and get dressed."

Max watched Chloe exit the room out of the corner of her eye, before finally sighing in the comfort of the quiet. _I've been here about a month, haven't I?_ She sips from her cup, crossing her legs. _I have totally over-welcomed my stay… but I've been so distracted about all the fun I've had with Chloe. She's got to get tired of me at some point… right? Maybe after today I'll go home._

She finishes her cup of coffee in blissful silence, surprised it's taking the officer so long to get dressed. The small girl makes her way to the bedroom, peering in through the crack of the door; only to see the back of the blue-haired girl. Her muscles contracting as she picks up her shirt, sighing heavily. Max's cheeks began to feel as if they were lit on fire, and hurries away quietly in hopes she never heard her around the door.

Chloe came out sharply dressed in her uniform, as if it was her first day on the job. This is the neatest Max had ever seen The Punk, confusing her greatly. "You never know what you're going to encounter out there, so I like to wear it wherever i go." The brunette nods, noticing her tie is a little crooked. She closes the space inbetween them, hesitantly tugging the cloth in a straight line.

The officer had held her breath the whole time, watching her companion's face rather than her hands. There was an urge tugging at the back of her mind, but she pushed it back. "T-thanks," she stutters out. _I can't believe she makes me into a babbling mess. She's smaller and younger than me but sometimes I feel way more vulnerable…_

Chloe clears her throat before reaching out to curl a loose strand of the brunette's hair around her finger, smiling timidly. "Better go get dressed, that way we can beat rush hour traffic."

Max smiles and pushes her hand away, "You like to zoom through traffic anyways." Nevertheless, the small girl gets dressed and hurries back to The Punk's side. "You still got your mental list, right?" Max nods. "Good, keep it that way."

—

Max likes to take her time while browsing, comparing prices and things. Chloe on the other hand, is an impatient person. But she stands calmly and quietly as her companion goes slowly through the aisles. The officer noted how her eyes lingered on the camera section as they walked past it, and she got the perfect idea from it.

"Hey, Max? I forgot something, can you wait here while I go get it?" She didn't wait for an answer as she rushes off, hurrying to get what she needed. Max had been really too busy and hummed an answer, she places the bag of coffee she finally decides on in their buggy. The small girl suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if someone is watching her…

She turns her head quickly, her hair blocking the view for a seconds; only see the flash of color walk away. _Was that-? No. It couldn't be._ But she hurries to the end of the aisle anyways, _it's not him. It's not him, it is NOT him._ Max panics so quickly she doesn't see the person in front of her, almost knocking into them. "Max, hey, are you alright? I told you I'd be right back."

Chloe smiles, holding a sleek box in her palms. "What's-" The brunette creases her eyebrows, noticing it's a camera. "Chloe, what is that for?" The officer rolls her eyes, scoffing, "It's for you, duh! I just bought it at the technology area." Max takes the box into her hands, noting the brand name. "No way, I can't take this! It must've cost like, a small fortune!"

"Well, you're going to take it. I never get to spend money, and now I know my money was spent wisely. And used well." Chloe nods on the last word, crossing her arms.

"Chloe… I," Max pauses, standing in shock. She looks up at the officer, who is awaiting the brunette's reaction. "Thank you so much,"

"I remember you telling me you were into photography so I figured, y'know," Chloe looks away, throwing an arm up to scratch the back of her head.

 _I can't believe she remembered such a small fact about me,_ Max thinks to herself while looking back down at the box. She doesn't realize she has a goofy smile on her face as she turns the box in her small hands, observing every little detail on it. "I take it you like it?" Chloe grins, tilting her head a bit.

"Duh! This is amazing, I can't wait to start using it!" Max speaks excitedly as she encloses the box in her arms, not planning to let go of it anytime soon. She felt a little bit like a small child who got a new toy.

"Well, good. Come on, let's finish our shopping. Still got that mental list?" Chloe asked, leaning her body onto the buggy and heading out of the aisle. Max's smile never faltered, "I told you I wouldn't forget anything." But once her eyes roamed the buggy's contents, she notices a missing item. "Wait, Chloe, you didn't grab the milk did you? I told you to get it while we were down there."

In truth, the officer was too busy eyeing the small girl to hear what she had said. "Oh, oops. Uh, I'll just jog down there and get it." She starts her way down there, turning to hear Max say: "I'll be at the frozen foods, come find me when you're done!" Chloe nods, _don't worry, I'd never lose you._

Max lets her eyes linger on the blue-haired girl before making her way to the aisle. _I shouldn't have worn shorts,_ she thinks as she observes the different frozen pizzas. _Chloe likes the supreme, but I like cheese. I'll just get both._ She goes to open the door, but a hand slams it closed. Her eyes see the bruised hand, and travel them up the arm before landing on the face she never expected to see again. She could feel her heartbeat in her throat.

"N-Nathan?" She chokes out, grabbing the metal cart for balance. _No, no, this can't be happening again!_

"Finally got bailed out of that shithole. Bet you didn't you expect to see me again, hm? I came back for you, because you're mine, Max," Nathan growls through clenched teeth. "You think anyone else would want you?" The Prescott scoffs, before looking at her filled-up cart. "You can't afford all that." Then he looks at the camera box she holds tightly in her hand, "You _definitely_ can't afford that."

His anger rises, knowing she must be here with someone else. "Who the fuck are you with? You should've waited for me to get out!" Max would've answered, but she's terrified. The air in her lungs no longer exist. "Give me that damn thing!" He tries to snatch the box away from the brunette, before a gallon of milk smacks him in the face; causing him to fall onto his back.

The officer appears beside Max, eyeing Nathan. "Why are you here? I told you to stay the fuck away from her!" Chloe could feel her blood boiling. _How did he find us here?_ Pure anger filled her every sense as she balled up her fists, ready to attack. She wanted nothing more than to beat his face in, but a small hand on her arm stops her. "Chloe…"

"Max, stay out of this. I'll handle it." The Punk pushes Max's hand off of her arm, only to feel it being placed again. "Chloe, please! Let's just go!"

"Are you gonna stand here and take this from him? Clearly he needs to go back to where he belongs," Chloe hisses under her breath, grimacing at the man standing up from being pushed to the ground. His side is drenched in milk, the gallon busted after hitting the floor.

"It's _you_ again," Nathan breathed heavily. Max could feel a heavy weight on her chest as she glanced around at all the people surrounding them. _This is just a dream, he isn't really here. Just a bad dream,_ she told herself repeatedly in her mind.

Max couldn't grasp the reality of the situation until she felt Chloe harshly stumble back a few steps. She looked up to see Chloe holding her hand over a harsh bruise on her face.

"You're gonna get it now, fucker!" Chloe shouts as she lunges forward, but the small brunette behind her wraps her arms around the officers torso before she can get to Nathan. Max's clutch is lethal, tears threatening to leak from her lids.

Surprise hit The Punk like a truck as she cranes her head to see her companion latched on for dear life. All of her focus situated on the smaller girl, not noticing the rage rushing at the pair. Nathan's hand grasps Max's thin wrist, yanking it towards himself. "You're mine!"

But the officer wasn't having it, her large hand wraps around their attacker's throat; squeezing and pushing with all her might. "You don't fucking lay a hand on her! She's not an object, she's a human! One that _you_ destroyed! You ruined her!" With one final push she finally releases Nathan's throat, he sputters and coughs trying to compose himself.

"And I will _never_ let you harm her, ever again." She licks her lips, tasting a metallic tang. Chloe uses her sleeve to wipe the blood from her nose, turning to walk back to Max; running when she sees her limp against the cart. "God, fuck, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

A small hand slips into her own, giving it a small squeeze. "You saved me again, don't be sorry. Now, can we just go home? I don't want to be here anymore." Max speaks shakily, needing some time to process what happened. The officer nods, moving her free hand behind the brunette's head to push it forward; placing a soft kiss on her forehead. When they turn to leave, Nathan is already gone.

"Don't worry, I've got you." And Chloe never let go of her hand.

—

Max put up the groceries when they got home, and the officer tried to find anything to kill her abusive headache. In the end, the small girl ended up taking care of her; _as usual. Max is really good at patching things up, I just wish she would've had to learn it a different way._

"Every time you leave the house you come back hurt in some kind of way, how do you accomplish that, Chloe?" The brunette fusses at her companion, dabbing at the dried blood as Chloe sits on the lid of the toilet. "I dunno, I guess I just have a knack for hurting things and getting hurt. It's the Price's family curse."

Max smiles and laughs lightly, "Family curse, huh? We might just have to figure out a way to break that." The officer's eyes admires Max's features; especially her lips. "I think I already know a way," she whispers.

The small girl freezes as she stares back into the blue orbs observing her, she tries to stay level as they rise above herself. Chloe's larger body looms over her own, staring intensely. "The sunshine that brought light into my dull days. My lucky charm. Through all the pain, I've only seen one definite thing these past weeks."

She steps forward, Max stepping back; they repeat these movements until Max's back hits the wall. Her breathing becomes uneasy. "I- I couldn't imagine what it could be." She doesn't feel trapped, or intimidated, _everything's… fine? Like… like it was meant to happen._

"I can. It's you, it'll always be you." With a final step, their faces are inches apart. "I- I think Nathan was right..." The small girl pushes past the enclosed space, grasping the sink as tears threaten to spill.

"He's always been right. I shouldn't have came here at all, I've just been annoying and useless. I feel like… no one could ever love someone like me. Maybe this is life telling me that this is what I deserve." The harsh grip on the sink turns her knuckles white, trying to hold herself together.

"You really think that?" Chloe voice cracks, sorrow building from her companion's rant. "Because I don't." She steps forward again, placing her hand on Max's shoulder to turn her around; she waits till they're face to face to continue.

"You don't know who you are, or the impact you have. That guy didn't show you love or compassion, that isn't love. It will never be." The officer's hand covers Max's cheek, tracing the outline of her ear. "But I can show you different, you just have to let me."

The blush forming across the brunette's cheeks causes her face to warm up, every feeling of despair vanished with the blue-haired girl's touch. "Let me in, Max. What are you so afraid of? I'm here for you, I'll always be here for you," She spoke in soft whispers.

And suddenly, Max didn't feel like a victim anymore. Every defense that Nathan forced her to build up had been torn down, by someone she never expected. Everything that hurt inside crumbled and smoldered to ash. Only Chloe stood there with the torch that burned it down. Chloe, with her hard eyes, but soft words.

She hadn't noticed how close their faces appeared to each other again, but she didn't mind it.

"Move away if you don't want this."

Max is not prepared for the next moment.


End file.
